Interviews with athletes who participated in the Hakone Ekiden, who aim to represent Japan in the marathon at the 2024 Paris Olympics. We will ask him about episodes from that time, his enthusiasm for the Paris Olympics, and how his experience at “Hakone” has influenced his current running and life.
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Former Hakone Ekiden athletes aiming for the Paris Olympics
～HAKONE to PARIS～
The 12th Yuya Yoshida (Seigaku University-GMO) Part 2
Click here for the first part >> “Practice that can only be thought to shorten the life of an athlete” Running 1200 km a month, making a new section in the Hakone Ekiden for the first time
Yuya Yoshida, winner of the 2020 Fukuoka International Marathon
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Yuya Yoshida ran the Oita Beppu Mainichi Marathon in February before graduating when he was in his fourth year at Seigaku University. At first, after leaving the dormitory, I thought I would enjoy his last moratorium for joining the company in April. However, when he achieved results in his first marathon, the surroundings began to make a big noise. Toshihiko Seko, the leader of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations Marathon Strengthening Strategy Project, and Susumu Hara, the head coach, persuaded him that he should continue competing.
“When I was in college, it was a club activity, and in a sense, I was able to enjoy it without a sense of responsibility. Ultimately, the amount of time I enjoy track and field may be halved, but I can only continue competing while I am young.It will be a big challenge, but I will continue with determination. I decided
Only one month until graduation. Even if they decided to continue the competition at that time, there were few business groups that opened the gate, and the competition was continued at the GMO Internet Group, where Hara was an advisor. After joining the company, while the coronavirus was raging, Yoshida practiced calmly. Despite his good training, the races were all canceled and he didn’t get a chance to let go of what he had built up.
“When I was training, there were times when I wanted to participate in a race. One of them is to read literature and papers on exercise physiology, etc. At that time, Mr. (Shuichi) Kondo, who had completed the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo, was on the team, so he gave me recommendations for papers. I had a brain explain the words I didn’t understand.
Guts and guts are important in a marathon, but they are necessary at the end of the race. During the blank period of the race, I learned again that fundamental principles and science are necessary to understand daily practice and improve running performance.
[Meeting with Suguru Osako]
In December, eight months after joining GMO, Yoshida competed in the Fukuoka International Marathon. He showed an aggressive race development and achieved his first marathon victory in 2 hours 7 minutes 5 seconds.
“Before the Fukuoka International, I was able to improve my personal bests in the 5,000m and 10,000m. That was because I had done a lot of speed training. I improved my personal best in practice, and I was able to run an Ekiden during marathon practice.As a result of combining training in an orderly manner and in a well-balanced manner, I was able to win the race, so what I did was not a mistake.I am confident in my efforts. I was able to get
For Yoshida, winning his first marathon was a joyous occasion. However, there was a greater harvest than that. That was how I met Suguru Osako.
“After the race, I went out to eat with Mr. Osako with a mutual friend.
Yoshida then participated in Osako’s training and training camps. But the more he played, the more he felt his powerlessness.